Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for - Aseanipm ...

INTEGRATED RODENT MANAGEMENT
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Field Guide of Discovery-based Exercises for Organic Vegetable Production
Rodents (e.g., Rattus argentiventer and Rattus rattus mindanensis) are nocturnal animals,
which can devastate many agricultural crops. Evident signs of their presence are gnawing,
nibbling, cut stems, and presence of runways and burrows in crop fields. Rodents readily
multiply in areas where food is abundant. Reproductivity of rodents is not constant but varies
significantly, indicating that factors other than food and climate influence rodent reproduction 161 .
Rodents differ from insect pests, making its management different. First, rodents can stay in one
area even though there is no crop. This means that we can use damage caused in one season to initiate
controls for the next season. The other difference is method of management. Rodent management
must be organized over a wide area to be very effective. Rodent drives, baiting, digging, and any
other management method or approach is most effective if done as a community-based action.
Many communities mistakenly believe that success of a rodent management campaign program is
determined by how many rodents have been killed. The large number of rodents killed is not the key
to success; the opposite is true. More rodents killed really means a lot more rodents are out in the
fields ready to feed on agricultural crops. The number of dead rodents is not very important. The
number of rodents that are alive and eating crop is more important.
161 Sumangil, J.P. 1990. Control of ricefield rats in the Philippines. In Quick, G.R. (ed). 1990. Rodents and Rice. Report and Proceedings of an Expert Panel
Meeting on Rice Rodent Control held on 10-14 September 1990 at International Rice Research Institute, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines. pp35-48.